Benni McCarthy slams Cape Town with soccer side kicked out for rugby

Bafana Bafana legend is seething after the City of Cape Town turfs out his side, so that sevens rugby can be played at the World Cup stadium instead.

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - OCTOBER 11: Benni McCarthy (Head Coach) during the Cape Town City FC media open day at GreenPoint Common Fields on October 11, 2017 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images)

Benni McCarthy has hit out at city officials after his Cape Town City side were forced out of the Cape Town Stadium.

The city-owned venue will host the second round of the HSBC Rugby Sevens World Series on the weekend of 9-10 December.

City bigwigs have sent the PSL side packing, despite the conflicting soccer fixture being four days earlier.

Preparations for the world-beating Blitzboks will instead take place.

His team will make a 3 000km round trip

The ABSA Premiership title chasers will now play Maritzburg United in their own province of KwaZulu-Natal at Durban’s Princess Magogo Stadium.

Bewildered boss McCarthy has penned a damning statement in response.

McCarthy fumed:

“The Cape Town Stadium is unavailable due to the setting up of Rugby 7s, but we have become accustomed to being removed from Cape Town Stadium for events far less significant.

“It blows my mind how a stadium that only exists because of the Soccer World Cup, cannot be reserved for 15 out of 365 days for the City’s premium soccer team.”

He also laid into the lack of alternatives for his homeless club

Several other venues exist for soccer in Cape Town and further afield.

But the club reckon they can’t find one to use.

“When there’s a rugby competition, the stadiums are ready. When there’s a nitro circus car event, the stadiums are ready.

“For football, Cape Town’s World Cup stadium – unavailable. Athlone Stadium – used by a thousand tenants and has become a sand patch. Newlands – unavailable.

“Make an emergency plan at another venue across the entire Western Cape – um, sorry we didn’t think that far ahead.”

McCarthy is in no doubt who wins in soccer v rugby clash

Making the comparison with how he believes the Stormers would be treated, McCarthy painted his sport as the poor relation.

“Imagine the Stormers, with a chance to go top of the log, were told that they must play their next crucial home game against the Sharks in Durban.